Ohio Valley Conference

Jacksonville State has been tabbed ninth and five other OVC schools are receiving votes in the preseason Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 poll which was released on Monday.

The Gamecocks, who finished last season ranked 12th nationally, were the only OVC team in the Top 25 although defending champion Southeast Missouri State (unofficially 28th with 341 points), Murray State (unofficially 29th with 315 points), Eastern Kentucky (unofficially 36th with 139 points), Tennessee Tech (12 points) and UT Martin (1 point) also received at least one vote in the poll which is included a national panel of sports information/media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries.

Jacksonville State was ranked as high as No. 2 in the national polls last season on its way to a 6-2 OVC mark (second place) and 9-3 season. The Gamecocks received an at-large berth into the FCS Playoffs and lost by three points to No. 6-ranked Wofford. This season Jax State was picked the OVC preseason favorites for the third time in the last four years. The team returns 51 letterwinners and 13 total starters including five preseason All-OVC selections. Among the team's top newcomers is former Georgia running back Washaun Ealey who rushed for 1,528 yards and 14 touchdowns in two seasons with the Bulldogs.

Southeast Missouri finished last year 9-3 overall and 7-1 in the OVC as the Redhawks won its first OVC Championship and made its first playoff appearance at any level of football in its 104-year history. The team would go on to lose at eventual national champion Eastern Washington in the second round of the FCS Playoffs and along the way head coach Tony Samuel took home the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year award. This season the team returns 40 letterwinners from last season including five defensive starters. Among the returning offensive starters is senior quarterback Matt Scheible who was a first-team All-OVC pick last year.

After being predicted last in the OVC in 2010, Murray State was tabbed second this season after a 6-5 overall and 5-3 campaign in the league in 2010 under first-year head coach Chris Hatcher. Hatcher brings his "Hatch Attack" spread offense back for year No. 2 this season and has 10 offensive and nine defensive starters back. Among those returning players is junior quarterback Casey Brockman who is one of 20 players on the Walter Payton Award Watch List (he award is given to the top offensive player in the FCS). 

Eastern Kentucky was picked third in the OVC preseason poll after tying for second in the standings with a 5-2 OVC record in 2010. After starting last season 0-3, the Colonels won six of its final eight games and this season returns nine offensive and seven defensive starters including seven total players who were named to the Preseason All-OVC team this year. Among the team's returning players is senior defensive back/return specialist Jeremy Caldwell who is one of 20 players on the preseason Buck Buchanan Award Watch List (the award is given to the top defensive player at the FCS level).

Tennessee Tech finished the 2010 campaign with a 4-4 OVC record which included topping No. 4 ranked Jacksonville State in the regular season finale. Head coach Watson Brown has 21 starters and 52 total letterwinners returning, marking the most experienced and deepest team he has had in his now five seasons with the Golden Eagles program. Among the team's returning players is senior wide receiver Tim Benford who enters the year just six receptions away from the OVC career Top 10 list. 

UT Martin was picked sixth in the OVC preseason poll and head coach Jason Simpson returns for his sixth season with the Skyhawks in 2011. Last year UTM won the Sgt. York Trophy by going undefeated (3-0) against the other OVC schools from the state of Tennessee. The Skyhawks return junior quarterback Derek Carr, who led the OVC with 2,543 passing yards a season ago.

Defending National Champion Eastern Washington was No. 1 in the preseason Sports Network poll; the Eagles received 90 of the 140 first-votes in the poll.   

During the regular season, the Sports Network Top 25 will be released every Monday afternoon, except for the final weekend of the regular season, when it will be released Sunday morning, Nov. 20, due to its use as an official tool by the NCAA Division I Football Committee in selecting the 20-team playoff field.

The Sports Network and Fathead.com will release a final Top 25 following the FCS championship game, which will be held Jan. 7 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

The other major Top 25 FCS poll will be released next Monday (Aug. 22) when the FCS Coaches Poll is released.